The American Medical Group Association announced today that the Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation has awarded a grant to the Measure Up/Pressure Down(TM) campaign to help improve the rates of high blood pressure control among patients in the health system's region.

Measure Up/Pressure Down(TM) is a three-year national campaign to improve high blood pressure prevention, detection, and control, spearheaded by the American Medical Group Foundation, the AMGA's nonprofit education and research arm. Nearly 150 AMGA member medical groups and health systems delivering care to more than 42 million patients have joined Measure Up/Pressure Down(TM). Baptist Medical Group is one of the participating members in the campaign, which mobilizes medical groups and health systems to achieve the goal of having 80 percent of high blood pressure patients in control of their condition by 2016.

The grant will provide support to assist BMG in improving health care for their patients. A portion of the grant funds will be used for community-wide services to raise blood pressure awareness, including free blood pressure checks and public health education. High blood pressure is not only the most common, but also one of the most important modifiable risk factors for coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease and peripheral vascular disease - all common, severe conditions affecting the southern region served by BMG.

"At Baptist Medical Group, we are thrilled that the Baptist Foundation has agreed to support this important intervention to better control hypertension," said James W. Boswell, chief executive officer at BMG. "Baptist continues to demonstrate its commitment to the Mid-South by providing this grant to help not just our patients, but anyone living with hypertension."

"Joining efforts with the Measure Up/Pressure Down(TM) campaign offers a unique opportunity to work collectively to provide patients and communities with information and tools that increase detection, facilitate lifestyle changes, and improve medication adherence," said Donald W. Fisher, Ph.D., CAE, president and chief executive officer of AMGA. "Not only will this grant address high blood pressure in BMG's patient population and local communities, but Baptist will also be recognized as a national leader in transforming health care and serve as a model for all of our other groups that are working toward a common goal of improving blood pressure control."

BMG joins other contributors to the campaign that are committed to helping resolve this public health challenge, including Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Daiichi Sankyo Inc., Aetna, Humedica, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Epic and Ralphs. Other partners and supporting organizations include the American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, American Society of Hypertension, American Stroke Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, Institute for Health and Productivity Management, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Million Hearts(R) initiative and Women Heart.  For more information about the campaign, visit www.MeasureUpPressureDown.com